A War Apart
by Meg Rider
Summary: Prince Philip must go away to war and Aurora promises to wait for him until he returns. A love story requested by ElleNikole. One-Shot.


_A/N: I've decided to work on a couple side project one-shots of different Disney characters and different genres. I will write these in my spare time in between posting chapters of my main stories. As always, I will take any requests: Just let me know what character, or characters (can be crossover), you would like the story to be about and what genre you would like the story to be._

_This is a love story about Aurora and Philip (requested by ElleNikole)…_

After her birthday celebration ended, Aurora went up to her new room to get ready to go to sleep. Someone had laid out a pink nightgown on the bed. She ran her fingers over the silky fabric and smiled. At first she had been so upset when the fairies told her she was really a princess and betrothed to Prince Philip. But, when she found out Philip was the boy she had met in the woods, she had been so happy.

Aurora was just about to undo her dress to change into the nightgown, when she heard something hit her window. She froze. Something else hit her window. She slowly walked over to the window and opened it. Philip was standing under her window, holding a handful of small pebbles.

Aurora smiled down at her prince. "What are you doing?"

Philip dropped the pebbles on the ground. "Trying to get your attention."

"Well, you got it," Aurora said.

"Can you come down?" Philip asked.

Aurora nodded. "I'll be right down."

Aurora closed the window and hurried over to the mirror. She ran a brush through her hair, then admired her reflection. Fauna and Merryweather and had been changing her dress from pink to blue so much that night that her dress eventually just turned purple. Aurora preferred the purple; it matched her eyes.

Aurora quietly snuck out of the castle and went outside to meet Philip. Philip lifted Aurora up onto his horse, Samson, before climbing on himself. They rode into the forest, to the cottage Aurora had been living in. He helped her down and they went inside. Around looked around the cottage. Though, she had just been there that morning, the cottage seemed strange and unfamiliar to her. Her life had changed so drastically since she had last been there. She literally went from a peasant girl to a princess over night.

"Aurora, there's something I have to tell you," Philip said.

Aurora couldn't help noticing the sad tone in his voice. "What is it?"

Philip took Aurora's hand. "I don't usually go out into the woods dressed as a peasant." He paused. "I was just trying to escape my duties for a day, while I still could."

"I don't understand," Aurora said.

"Aurora, one of out allied kingdoms has gone to war," Philip said. "As the prince it is my duty to go to war with them."

"Wh-when do you have to leave?" Aurora asked.

"Tomorrow."

Aurora's eyes widened. "But, what about us?"

"Aurora, I'm releasing you from your obligation to me," Philip said. "I don't know when I'll be coming back, or even _if _I'm coming back. It wouldn't be fair to ask you to wait for me."

Aurora didn't know what to say. She just stood there staring at the floor. Her life was changing too fast and too often for her to keep up.

"I should take you home," Philip said.

Aurora nodded. The ride back home seemed to be so much quicker than the ride to the cottage. Philip quickly dismounted Samson and then helped Aurora down.

"Good bye, Aurora," Philip said.

Aurora slowly nodded, still having trouble letting everything sink in. She started walking away, but then the realization of what was happening finally came to her. She turned around and ran back to Philip. He was already back on his horse. She grabbed Samson's rein and looked up at Philip.

"Philip, I _will _wait for you," Aurora told him.

"You don't have to," Philip said.

"I want to."

"Sleep on it, Aurora," Philip said. "The boat leaves at dawn tomorrow morning. If in the morning you still feel this way, meet me at the port before dawn."

"I'll be there."

O/O/O

Aurora didn't sleep at all that night. She lied in bed until it was time for her to go to the port. She put on one of her new dresses and made herself look pretty for Philip. Today would be his last memory of her before he leaves, and she wanted to make sure it would be good one. She made her way to the stables and took one of the horses. She rode as fast she could to the port, then got off the horse and ran down the dock. She looked around frantically for her prince.

"You came."

Aurora turned around to see Philip standing behind her. "Of course I came."

Philip gave her a small smile. "You're just in time; we're about to leave."

"I'm going to miss you," Aurora said, starting to cry.

Philip gently wiped the tears off her cheek. "I miss you already."

"I need you to come back, Philip," Aurora said.

Philip took a deep breath. "I can't promise that. But, I will see you again... Even if it's in the next life."

Aurora nodded. "Good bye, Philip."

"Good bye, Aurora." Philip kissed Aurora, then got on the boat.

O/O/O

**One Year Later... **

Aurora went to the port everyday after Philip left. Whenever a boat came in, she would desperately search all the passengers hoping to see her prince. But, he never came. So far today, no boats had come in. Aurora sat at the end of the dock, staring out at the horizon. When she saw a boat approaching in the distance, she quickly stood up. The boat docked and the passengers streamed off of it. Aurora scanned the faces, but none of them were Philip. The last man to get off the boat was dressed in armor and was carrying a scroll. He met with another man on the dock and they headed into the kingdom. Aurora mounted Samson and followed after them. When Aurora made it back to the castle she saw the men talking to her father while King Hubert was reading the scroll.

"No," King Hubert muttered. "No, no, no…" He dropped the scroll and put his hands over his face.

King Stefan picked up the scroll and looked over it. His face suddenly became pale and he put his hand on King Hubert's shoulder.

"What is it?" Aurora asked.

The men all looked up at Aurora. King Hubert slowly walked away and sank down in the closest chair. King Stefan walked over to Aurora and gave her a hug.

"Daddy, what's going on?" Aurora asked.

"Sweetheart, we were just informed that young Philip was taken prisoner in the war and was killed," King Stefan said.

Aurora felt her heart shatter. "No! That can't be true!"

Aurora ran over to the man in the armor. He looked down at her with a blank expression.

"You had to have been misinformed," Aurora told them.

"I'm sorry, princess," he said. The men then turned and walked away.

Aurora grabbed the closest object to her, which happened to be a crystal glass, and threw it at the man in the armor. It missed and smashed against the wall.

"How can you be so cold?" Aurora cried out.

King Stefan came up behind Aurora and put his hands on her shoulders. Aurora turned around and looked up at him.

"They're wrong, Daddy. Philip is still alive," Aurora said. "I know he is!"

"Aurora," King Stefan said, gently. "Philip is not coming back."

"You're wrong!" Aurora pushed her father away from her and ran away. She got back on Samson and rode to where she had first met Philip.

The memories of that day washed over her, until they completely overwhelmed her. She collapsed on the ground and started crying.

O/O/O

**Two Years Later…**

Aurora refused to believe Prince Philip was dead, so she continued to wait for him on the dock everyday. Her mother was beginning to worry a great deal about her, while her father was trying to insist on her moving on. He kept saying that it wasn't right for a nineteen-year-old woman not to be married. But, Aurora promised Philip she would wait for him, and she was going to keep that promise.

Aurora now walked slowly to the end of the dock. She had been informed that the war ended a couple days ago and all the surviving soldiers had returned home. Philip did not come back with the other soldiers. Aurora was now forced to accept Philip's death. She leaned back against the wooden post. Tears rolled down her cheeks, reminding her of the gentle way Philip had wiped away her tears before he left.

A small fishing boat was approaching the dock and Aurora starting walking back towards Samson, to get out of their way.

"_Aurora!"_

Aurora gripped her hair and shook her head. Now she thought she could hear Philip calling her name. Maybe everyone was right: maybe she _was _going crazy.

"Aurora!"

No. That _was _Philip calling her. Aurora turned around to see Philip standing at the front of the approaching fishing boat. Without thinking, Aurora dove into the water and started swimming to the boat. Philip jumped in the water, as well, and swam towards her. When they reached each other, they immediately kissed each other.

"They told me you were taken prisoner and killed," Aurora said.

"I was taken prisoner," Philip said. "I escaped. But, the war was over and I had missed the boat back here. I came across these fisherman and they agreed to bring me home."

"Oh, Philip, I was so scared," Aurora said. "I thought I lost you forever."

"I will never leave you again, Aurora," Philip said.

Aurora kissed Philip again, not wanting to let go of him.

"Marry me, Aurora," Philip whispered.

Aurora smiled for the first time in three years. "Yes."

O/O/O

Princess Aurora and Prince Philip were married the following week. They spent their honeymoon in Aurora's cottage in the woods.

On their wedding night, they lied in bed with the moonlight shining over them from the window. Aurora snuggled as close to Philip as she could and he wrapped his arms tightly around her. Everything was finally the way it was meant to be.

"I love you, Philip," Aurora said.

Philip smiled at her. "I love you, too."

"Philip, do you think we'll live happily ever after like the stories say?"

Philip kissed Aurora. "Of course we will."


End file.
